Florist Drains Bank Account To Ship Valentine's Day Orders After Amazon Holds Up Her Payments

A Connecticut florist was over the moon when her flower business began booming after she signed up to sell her floral wares through Amazon. That is, until Amazon told her she had made too much money, too fast, and they’d have to freeze their payments to her. But since it’s Valentine’s Day, she decided the show must go on — even at risk to her own personal finaces.

Susan tells New Haven’s WTNH News 8 that Amazon owes her thousands of dollars for the business she did out of her home. She says six weeks ago, when she started selling her goods through the mega online retailer, she was pleased to see sales go through the roof overnight — from about one order a day to 100.

But then Amazon pulled the rug out from under her floral joy.

“They said your account is currently under review because you’re very new, you have no feedback and we’re gonna hold the money up to 90 days,” Susan says. She claims she made over $10,000 in five days, but that so far she’s only seen $45.02 of that.

Susan needed those funds to buy more supplies for a very important holiday in the flower world — Valentine’s Day — so instead of leaving her customers in the lurch, she drained her bank account to ship what orders she could last week.

For now, her products are for sale on Amazon, and orders are still being taken, but Susan can’t log in and fill any new orders, which she says will ruin her reputation.

“I’m scared, I’m actually scared,” she told the station. “I laid out so much money and I don’t know if I’m going to get any money in return back.”

*Thanks to Rebekah for the heads up!

Amazon puts flower business in danger [WTNH.com News 8]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.